As President Donald Trump and his allies face accusations of inciting the riot at the U.S. Capitol, an image made the rounds on social media Monday showing Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son, wearing a shirt bearing a logo of a far-right militia group with members who are under FBI investigation over their alleged involvement in the riot.
KEY FACTS
In a photo posted to his Instagram account on May 27, 2019, Trump wore a green shirt bearing the president’s slogan “MAGA”—short for “Make America great again”—and a skull emblazoned with the logo of the Three Percenters.
In the comments, many users noticed Trump’s shirt and its connotation: “YOUR SHIRT THOUGH!!!!” one user commented, followed by the emojis for a target and an explosion.
“Nice shirt!! #QAnon” another user said, connecting the militia group to the far-right conspiracy theory.
The Three Percenters are a pro-Trump, pro-gun militia group whose name comes from the incorrect idea that only 3% of Americans fought the British during the Revolution—according to the Anti-Defamation League it’s dedicated to “protecting Americans from government tyranny” and its adherents have a “track record of criminal activity ranging from weapons violations to terrorist plots and attacks.”
People wearing clothing and armor with the Three Percenters logo participated in the riot on January 6.
A man allegedly associated with the group, Robert Gieswein, 24, of Cripple Creek, Colorado, was charged with assaulting federal officers near the Capitol with bear spray and a baseball bat in court documents made public on Sunday; Gieswein’s now-deleted Facebook page showed pictures of him flashing the Three Percent symbol outside the bar owned by Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), according to the Daily Beast.
CRUCIAL QUOTE
Trump did not immediately respond to Forbes’ request for comment sent to the Trump Organization Monday, though the president’s first son has denounced the violence at the Capitol. In a tweet about the riots posted January 6, Trump said, “This is wrong and not who we are. Be peaceful and use your 1st Amendment rights, but don’t start acting like the other side. We have a country to save and this doesn’t help anyone.”
TANGENT
The company that makes Trump’s shirt, Norton Concealment, a gun concealment holder company located in Alpharetta, Georgia, continues to sell the “Trump Three Percenter Punisher” shirt on its site, despite the group’s connection to the riot. The product page for the shirt includes a photo of Trump Jr. wearing the piece of clothing. Norton Concealment did not immediately respond to Forbes’ request for comment Monday.
